Auxiliary steering-brake for vessels



(ModeL) H. WETTSTEIN.

AUXILIARY STEERING BRAKE FOR VESSELS.

Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

, o fiw N. mum Plmmmhgra hu. warm-Am o a UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEi-CE.

HERMAN IVE'ITTIEINOF HARVARD, ILLINOIS.

AUXILIARY STEERING- BRAKE FOR VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 395,023, dated December 25, 1888.

Application filed September 17, 1887. Serial No. 249,976. (ModolJ T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that HERMAN VETTSTEIN, of Harvard, in the county of Mcllenry and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Vessel-Brakes and Auxiliary Steering Apparatus for Boats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it,.reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in vessehbrakes and auxiliary steering apparatus for boats; and it consists in, first, the combination, with the hull of a ship, of one or more plates hinged to each side thereof and adapted to be opened outward for the purpose of stopping or steering the ship;

second, the combination, with the hull of a ship, of one or more plates hinged to each side below the water-line, a mechanism for opening the plates outward, and a water-tight chamber extending above the water-line, and in which the lower parts of the operating mechanism are placed third, in the arrangement and combination of devices, which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to hinge to the sides of the hulls of boats of all kinds plates or wings which can be opened outward from the side of the ship so as to serve as brakes to stop the headway of a ship, and thus prevent collisions, and which can be used to assist the regular helm or rudder at the stern when turning the ship around in a small space.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the forward portion of a ship with my invention attached thereto, one of the plates being shown open and the side of the ship partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the forward portion of a ship with the decks removed, showing the mechanism for extending the plates. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a preferred form of mechanism for extending the plates. Fig. 4c is a detail view of a lever for operating the plates. v

A represents the forward portion of the hull of a ship, to which the brake or steeringplates B are hinged in any suitable manner. These plates or wings B are hinged to the hull of the ship wherever the build of the ship will admit of their attachment, but preferably at the lower forward part. Secured to the plates B at any suitable point in the rear of their pivots and passing through holes 0 made in the hull of the ship are the bars D, to the inner ends of. which are attached the ropes A, and which have their opposite ends wound around the .reels Q upon the vertical shafts L. Attached to the inner ends of the bars I), inside of the ship or forming an angular extension of the bars I), are the bars F, which extend toward the bow of the ship, turning at varying angles with the side of the ship when the plates or wings are being extended. The forward ends of the bars F are hinged or pivoted near the inn erside of thehull ot the ship, as shown. For the purpose of giving additional strength and rigidity to the plates 1-3 and bars F (when the plates B are being opened outward) the bars H are provided, and have their ends attached to the plates B and bars F and pass through horizontal openings made in the hull of the ship in the same manner as the bars D.

Extending lengthwise or vertical of" the ship are the timbers I, and to these timbers the inner ends of the bars J are secured, their outer ends being secured to the inner side of the hull of the ship. Thesetwo bars J form guides for the bars F, and are placed one above and one below said bars F, thereby preventing any upward or downward movement of the bars F and H. The inner and outer ends of holes (1 in hull are connected with a tube or pipe to prevent water from entering between the timbers or plates of the hull.

Passing verticallythrough the reels Q are theshafts L, which h ave their lower ends journaled near the bottom of the ship and their upper ends extending through one or several decks, as the magnitude of the ship may require. The upper ends of the shafts are provided with operatin g-wheeis M, ratchet-wheels N, and pawls for engaging the ratchet-wheels. \Vhen the plates or wings B are forced outward and the ship moving forward through the water, the pressure of the water against the wings is very great, and unless some means were provided for locking the shaft L the plates would instantly close. The shafts L, being provided with the ratchet-wheels N and pawls, are locked and the wings held in any desired posit-ion.

\Vherc the apparatus is applied to very large ships, the opcrating-wheels M will not give sullicient leverage to force the brakes outward, and in this case levers or turn bars 0, having a square hole for fitting the upper part or ends of the sha ['ts are provided, and by means of which any desired leverage can be obtained, and as many levers to each shaft used lf) Y])l{l(ll] 1' them crosswise of each other as maybe found necessary. 0 1 )eratin g-wh eels M or tin'ndJars 0 only, with their ratchetwheels and pawls, be placed upon one of the lower decks of large vessels, communication being had with an operatm' in a manner similar to that employed with the engineer of a steamer. All of thel-owermechanism is placed in a water-tight chamber, I, as the holes made in the hull ot the ship, cannot be made to fit the bars 1) ll snug enough to prevent the entrance of water. This chamber will extend upward ally suitable distance, but will in all cases extend above the water-line when the ship is loaded.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I show amodilied or e uivalent t'orm l'or extending the brakes, in which case a rack-bar and pinion are used instead of a rope and reel, as shown in Fig. 33.

Having thus deseribml my invention, l claim 1. The combination, with the hull ol' the ship, of two plates pivoted at their forward edges to opposite sides of the hull and which i have their rear ends push cd or forced outnvard in a forward direction by the operating-rods connected to them and held against the body of the water by the rods for the purpose of steering or stopping the ship, substantially as shown.

2. The combination. of the hull of a ship,

I one or more water-tight chambers located in the bow thereof, pivoted rods placed in the chamber and extending through the sides of the hull, and plates placed on opposite sides of the bow and connected loosely thereto, the rear ends of the plates being adapted to be. opened outward from the hull by the pivoted rods, substantially as set forth.

3: The coml'iinatitm ol? the hull of a ship, a water-tight chamber located in its bow, operating-shafts which extend down into the chamber, bent rods pivoted in the chamber and having their free ends to pass through opposite sides of the hull, and plates loosely connected at their front ends to opposite sides of the hull below the water-line, the outer ends of the pivoted bent rods being made to bear against. or connected to the inner sides of the plates, and the rods being connected to and operated by the shafts, substantially as specified.

-L. The -ombinati m of the hull of a ship, a water-tight cln'unber loez'lted in its bow, operating-shafts which have their lower ends extend down into the chamber, pivoted bent rods placed in the chamber connected to and i operated by the shafts, and having their-outer free ends to extend through openings in the sides ot' the bow, suitable guides placed in the chamber to operate in commotion with the pivoted rods, and plates )ivoted at their front ends to opposite sides oi. the bow and connected to or o iitaatcd by the pivoted rods,

substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof l alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN \VE'PISFEIN. \Vitnesses:

PHILIP SAUNDERS, LUsTER KENNEDY. 

